July 27, 2017

LOVE IN A TIME OF ALIEN INVASION -- Chapter 67

On Earth, there are three Triads intending to integrate
not only the three peoples and stop the war that threatens to break loose and
slaughter Humans and devastate their world; but to stop the war that consumes
Kiiote economy and Yown’Hoo moral fiber. All three intelligences hover on the
edge of extinction. The merger of Human-Kiiote-Yown’Hoo into a van der Walls
Society might not only save all three – but become something not even they
could predict. Something entirely new...

The young experimental Triads are made up of the smallest
primate tribe of Humans – Oscar and Xiomara; the smallest canine pack of Kiiote
– six, pack leaders Qap and Xurf; and the smallest camelid herd of Yown’Hoo – a
prime eleven, Dao-hi the Herd mother. On nursery farms and ranches away from
the TC cities, Humans have tended young Yown’Hoo and Kiiote in secret for
decades, allowing the two, warring people to reproduce and grow far from their
home worlds.

“We had nearly fallen into stagnation when we
encountered the Kiiote.”

“And we into internecine war when we encountered the
Yown’Hoo.”

“Yown’Hoo and
Kiiote have been defending themselves for a thousand revolutions of our Sun.”

“Together, we
might do something none of us alone might have done…a destiny that included
Yown’Hoo, Kiiote, and Human.” (2/19/2015)

“It’s not a ghost,” I said out loud into the warm air of the
underground hideout. “It’s a physically constructed life form that only the
Kiiote knew about.” To myself, I continued the logic train. The conjure was not a monster. It was a life form. It was
here, waiting to meet us during the most important time in the life of this
Triad. The last thing was most disturbing of all: it hadn’t attacked any of us
in the Triad.

The conjure had
attacked my Great Uncle Rion…and GURion was as artificial as the conjure was. He had been built in a
Human form by someone. Why was it preposterous to think that he was a construct
of Humanity? Clearly he set the Kiiote being – if it was a “being” at all –
off. Was GURion the same thing as the Kiiote things? What did they have against
each other?

I was so deaf to the world, that I about jumped out of my
skin when Xio spoke from a dark corner of the room, “You ever wonder what we’re
involved with?”

“This wasn’t a good time to sneak up on me, Xio!”

“I didn’t sneak.” She came out of the shadows and sat down
on one of the chairs facing the fireplace. “I couldn’t sleep, heard someone out
here, and came out. I figured anyone would have heard me.”

“I don’t have Kiiote ears.”

“I’m pretty sure a deaf Human would have heard that door
open.”

I grunted and shook my head. My heart rate was down again. I
slid back to a chair and sat. After a bit, I managed, “I was just wondering
that now.”

“Yeah. Everything’s so crazy all of a sudden…but,” she
paused and sighed, “This is what we’re supposed to be doing. We have a job and
all of a sudden, after the training and learning and jackin’ around, we’ve been
called up.”

“Called up to do WHAT?”

Long silence. I thought she might have gone to sleep when
she said, “To bring everything together. The Triads were created to form
something new…”

“Now you sound like a news report or an advertisement.”

“It’s what we were made to do. None of us is random. We’ve
been trained to work together…”

“To do WHAT? What’s this conflict between the conjures and my great uncle…”

I could see her face in the flickering firelight. She was
totally confused. “What do they have to do with each other?”

“The conjure didn’t
attack anyone in the Triad. It went after GURion.”

“That’s…” she stopped.

“See?”

“So these alien things are like your great uncle – they were
both manufactured. I thought your great uncle was made by the Kiiote or the
Yown’hoo?”

“I never asked who made him…”

Another voice out of the dark said, “I was made by Humans.”
Great Uncle Rion stepped out of the dark. I’d known him since I was a kid, but
standing there, in the firelight, and having said what he did after destroying
the conjure, he looked way scarier than
I’d ever seen him. He didn’t come into the light, saying, “I was created to
protect your grandfather’s family. This whole situation – with Earth playing a space-aged
Korea – was never meant to be. We were supposed to be neutral, a nursery for
both sides until they finished their stupid war and learned to live in peace.
That never happened and now we have you and the other Triads. You’re the last
gambit; the last hope of peace. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

“Why are people trying to kill us?”

“That seems to be the nature of the universe – hatred…”

I couldn’t help it, I guess Xio couldn’t, either. At the
same time we said, “No.”

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GUY STEWART

is a husband supporting his wife as a six+ year(!) breast cancer survivor, a father, father-in-law, grandfather, foster father, friend, writer and teacher who maintains a SF/YA/Childrens writing blog by the name of POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAYS that showcases his opinion and offers his writing up for comment. He has 55 publications to his credit including one books (1993 CSS Publishing)! He also maintains blogs for the West Suburban Summer School and GUY'S GOTTA TALK ABOUT BREAST CANCER! His Amazon page is here: http://www.amazon.com/ and type in my name!